Are Libraries an endangered species?

It has been a busy January so far - lots of news, and much of it bad on the library front. Budgets are tough, and they got tougher when Governor Brown announced his new budget for next year. His proposal hits public libraries in California hard, and will have a direct impact on what we can do and the services we provide.

Earlier in the month, the American Library Association Midwinter meeting was held in San Diego. Seen on the conference floor and in the ALA Store was a new T shirt showing Libraries as endangered, like the Polar Bear and the Panda. I am a bit of an optimist (or at least try to be...), so my initial thought was "Really? Isn't that a bit over the top?"

But after further thought, I think the T shirt is spot on. Here we are, in tough times, when libraries are booming and we are helping people connect to the Internet, find new careers, apply for job benefits, help their children get ready to learn, and all of the many other things we do at the library, and our funding keeps getting cut and our ability to respond to the needs in our community goes down.

If you love your library, consider joining the Friends of the Library, volunteering your time, or donating books. Talk to your elected representatives and tell them how much you love your library and what it means to you.

If you love the idea of libraries, a cornerstone of our democracy, then I invite you to come in and see what we can do for you now. I think you will find that we have something for everyone.

And if you think we don't need libraries any more, I also urge you to come in and take a look around. Or check out our website. I think we will surprise you with all the things we have and all the things we do.

I firmly believe that the public library is an anchor institution in the community - the public library is the most democratic institution in our nation. Everyone is welcome. In most communities, like Huntington Beach, the Library often predates the incorporation of the town. Creating a public library is one of the first things that a community does when it comes together as a community. It is a public manifestation of the importance of education, knowledge and opportunity for all. It reflects all that is best in our country. I believe we must do everything we can to ensure the survival of the public library.

So here's the question - how do we do that? How do we ensure that the public library is no longer an endangered species? I'd love to hear what people think.